We’ve all heard the saying: “Beer before liquor never been sicker.” Many of us plan our Saturday nights around the myth that you mix, you lose but a recent study is saying that mixing may not be the culprit.
Claudia Hammond of BBC reviewed previous research on the topic and is claiming that there are other factors that contribute to hangovers and not enough evidence to support the thought that mixing is the main cause. She states that although ethanol is what causes intoxication, the real cause of a hangover is the congeners found in booze. Simply put, congeners are the ingredient that makes our alcohol dark in color. Bourbon, red wine, scotch, dark rum and many more all have a significant amount of congeners. So it may not be that you’re mixing beer and spirits but the kind of spirits you’re indulging in.
Moral of the story: if you’re going to suck down beer, wine and spirits in one night, go easy on the congeners. Make it a white wine and vodka and stay away from the dark stuff. But always, drink responsibly.